Red Sox send Youkilis to White Sox

Kevin Youkilis, of the Boston Red Sox, is hugged by his replacement at third base, Nick Punto, after he was removed from the game after tripling against the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning of Boston's 9-4 win in an interleague game at Fenway Park on June 24, 2012. (AFP)

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BOSTON - The Boston Red Sox have sent third baseman Kevin Youkilis to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday for two players.

Pitcher Zach Stewart along with infielder Brent Lillibridge will head to Boston from Chicago.

Youkilis had sat on the bench for the past three games coming into Sunday's action, but he went 2-for-4 with an RBI triple and received two standing ovations from the Fenway crowd.

Following his RBI triple with two outs in the seventh, he was taken out of the game and shook hands with several players before stepping back out of the dugout and tipping his hat to the fans he played in front of since 2004.

Youkilis is batting just .233 with four home runs and 14 RBI this season and had been supplanted at third base by rookie Will Middlebrooks, who is batting .326 with nine homers and 34 RBI in 41 games this season.

Earlier in the season, Boston manager Bobby Valentine questioned Youkilis' commitment to the team, but quickly apologized. Valentine later told the media that he had spoken to Youkilis about a reduction in playing time, a conversation that Youkilis denied ever took place.

Over his nine season in the majors, all with Boston, the 33-year-old Youkilis is a . 286 hitter with 133 home runs and 563 RBI.

Stewart, 25, is 1-2 with a 6.00 earned run average over 18 games (one start) on the season and is 3-8 with a 5.92 ERA in two years in the majors.

Lillibridge, 28, is batting just .175 with two RBI and seven stolen bases in 48 games this season. Acquired from Atlanta on December 5, 2008 as part of a six-player trade, he has batted .215 with 16 homers and 58 RBI in 284 games between the Braves and White Sox in five season.